


Culture Shock

by green_goblxns (arccreactor)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Artist Steve Rogers, BAMF Natasha Romanov, F/M, Fluff, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2020-05-19 04:59:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19349965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arccreactor/pseuds/green_goblxns
Summary: He summoned his courage. C’mon, Rogers, you’ve beaten up literal Nazis and murder bots and Gods, just say it—“I don’t like that I don’t understand anyone’s references.” He spit out, before groaning and putting his head in his hands. The worst decision ever right now would be to look up at Y/N and see her smiling with glee, about to laugh at his misery. This was all just a mistake, why would he tell her something so goddamn embarrassing—“Really? That’s all?”He peeked out from behind his hands to find her with her hand on her hip, sending him a small, comforting smile. It wasn’t malicious at all, Steve found.So he emerged from his hands entirely to find that Y/N was now grinning happily straight at him, almost vibrating with excitement.“I’m gonna help you.”





	Culture Shock

**Author's Note:**

  * For [avengersobsesser](https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengersobsesser/gifts).



> Hey guys! This is literally the first fanfic I've ever posted here. I'm really active on Wattpad but don't read those books because they're laughably bad. Anyway, this story is dedicated to my wife, Clam. I love you so much! (Sorry I didn't get around to posting this until now, the past few days have been really hectic.) Without further ado, here's the first chapter! I hope y'all enjoy this!
> 
> ♡ shout at me on instagram- @mxrvellous.mercxry ♡

If not understanding other people’s references was a competition, Steve Rogers would win every round, no problem.

Ever since he’d gotten out of the ice, there was always something he just didn’t understand or wasn’t trusted to understand. It was always the small things— little smirks across team members, Tony’s eye rolls at his cluelessness of what the hell a “star-spangled ding dong” was. Peter’s Star Wars references, (how was he supposed to understand those when the only copies of the movies resided strictly in Peter’s room?) Nat calling him Lucas Lee, even Sam hadn’t spoken to him for days after Steve caught him singing loudly, and had pointedly asked him who Whitney Houston was.

As little as the issue would seem to the average person, the jabs added up. Point is, Steve Rogers hated feeling like he was stupid. It felt like there wasn’t a feasible solution to his problem unless he locked himself up in his room and studied the last 70 decades’ worth of pop culture for the rest of his life. This whole situation was just undyingly frustrating.

SLAM!

Steve blinked. Apparently, the laptop he’d been staring listlessly at for the last 20 minutes or so was now slammed shut. An embarrassing rouge filled his cheeks when he found a new person was now on the island where his computer sat, swinging her legs childishly and enjoying a peach.

“Y—Y/N?!” Steve asked, suddenly able to think again. She looked up from her snack and smiled a heavenly smile, hopping down from the counter.

“Sorry I startled you, Cap.” She shot him a mischievous look that said she absolutely meant to do that. “You were in some sort of confused daze.”

Y/N strolled over to one of Stark’s high tech recycling bins leisurely, throwing away the core of her peach. Once the napkin she’d been cradling the peach with fell inside the trash can and was immediately shredded, she turned around, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed. She was shooting him a concerned stare.

Steve hated the way her E/C eyes filled him with a type of warmth in the middle of his heart that he couldn’t explain.

“You sure you’re alright? I had to ask you three times if you wanted to hang out with Pietro and me tomorrow, but I had to shut your laptop to get you to really listen.”

She turned to the fridge to the left of Steve, opening it and pulling out four containers of strawberries. She rummaged around in more cabinets to find a cutting board and a bowl, before walking over to the island Steve was now seated at. Y/N turned on the sink and tested the water warmth with her index finger. Once she gave herself a satisfied smile, she pulled out the strawberries and started to wash them.

So she’s cutting up strawberries for the team, Steve thought. These little acts of kindness made Steve’s heart beat even faster than he thought possible for Y/N.

Things were quiet in the kitchen for a while. Only the sound of the running water and Y/N’s cute little humming pierced the air, the usual hustle and bustle of the Avengers absent because it was a Saturday. More specifically, a Saturday where almost everyone was gone with their families.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Steve feigned confusion. Telling Y/N that he was angry that he didn’t understand anyone’s references would just be stupid. He could envision it now— she’d laugh in his face, tell him he was ridiculous, refuse to go on missions with him again, something like that.

“What question?”

Y/N turned off the faucet abruptly, swiveling on her heel to look Steve in the eyes. Now the kitchen really was silent, but it lacked the domestic background noise enough that this silence was downright uncomfortable. Lying to Y/N is so utterly useless because she always knew when you were. But it was worth a try.

“Don’t play dumb, Cap.” She breathed a little disappointed sigh afterward.

He wished she’d stop calling him that. It was way too formal for two people who’d take a bullet for each other, two people who’d lived in the same building for years now.

Steve sighed. He had two choices— lie to Y/N again and screw up the very friendly relationship they’d built together for so long, or tell her the truth and seem like a total idiot. The second choice also came with destroying their relationship, so really, he couldn’t win.

What would Bucky tell him to do? Probably something like "man the hell up you stupid loser," or something as equally insulting and encouraging. But he wouldn’t know, because his best pal was currently brooding in his bedroom, as he usually did on Saturdays.

He tried his hardest to imagine Bucky’s severe glare before taking in a deep breath and just saying it.

“I don’t… okay, don’t tell anyone this,” Steve tried to shoot her a weak smile. Y/N understood immediately, offering up her pinky. Steve took his and pinky promised with her, chuckling at how stupid the whole situation was.

He summoned his courage. C’mon, Rogers, you’ve beaten up literal Nazis and murder bots and Gods, just say it—

“I don’t like that I don’t understand anyone’s references.” He spit out, before groaning and putting his head in his hands. The worst decision ever right now would be to look up at Y/N and see her smiling with glee, about to laugh at his misery. This was all just a mistake, why would he tell her something so goddamn embarrassing—

“Really? That’s all?”

He peeked out from behind his hands to find her with her hand on her hip, sending him a small, comforting smile. It wasn’t malicious at all, Steve found.

So he emerged from his hands entirely to find that Y/N was now grinning happily straight at him, almost vibrating with excitement.

“I’m gonna help you.”

Steve was about to ask what the hell she was talking about, but it was too late. She was already running around the kitchen, putting away her bowl of finished strawberries and putting the knife and cutting board in the sink to eventually be washed. The zooming blur was, startlingly, Pietro—like, even though Y/N didn’t possess powers like that. 

She was already out the kitchen when he blinked again, leaving a small sticky note on the island in front of him. Steve had to lean over the hard granite countertop to read it.

Meet me on my level at 11 am sharp tomorrow.  
Wear a comfortable outfit and bring your wallet. Cause I’m not paying for all the shit.

Xo, Y/N


End file.
